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IAEA Director General Grossi’s visit to Zaporozhye plant delayed — director

The reason given is safety concerns for the delegation

MELITOPOL, August 20. /TASS/. A visit of International Atomic Energy Agency Director General Rafael Grossi to the Zaporozhye Nuclear Power Plant has been postponed, Director Yury Chernichuk said in an interview with Vesti.

"The visit did not take place. Unfortunately, we were preparing to demonstrate the consequences of the enemy’s actions against the city and the nuclear power plant. The reason given is safety concerns for the delegation. The visit was postponed; a new date has not yet been announced – at least, I am not aware of it," Chernichuk said.

Earlier, Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova described Kiev’s disruption of Grossi’s visit as a reckless step.

Russian Il-76 aircraft drops ten loads of water on active fire sites in Serbia — ministry

The Emergencies Ministry said that Russian rescue teams are working closely with Serbian ground services and receiving organizational support from the Russian-Serbian Humanitarian Center

Russian forces strike logistics center in Kiev Region with Geran UAVs — top brass

The strike destroyed the target

Dialogue with US to be fruitless, unless Iran combat ready — Majlis speaker

Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said "it is Washington and the war it unleashed that are causing instability in the region and disrupting normal trade routes"

UN deputy chief declines to assess Ukraine coordinator’s remarks

Tom Fletcher's statement followed a question about whether he considered Matthias Schmale’s actions to be a violation of Article 100 of the UN Charter, which requires UN staff to be impartial and independent

Russian aircraft to begin firefighting in Serbia on August 20 — group head

Aircraft Commander Andrey Vilkov says the city of Nis "is welcoming us with open arms and wonderful people"

Zelensky calls Russian ballistic missiles 'main threat' to Ukrainian military industry

Ukrainian military officials and politicians regularly mention shortage of air defense missiles and ask Western countries to increase deliveries of such weapons

Trump says blockade of Hormuz Strait was successful, now it is open

"No boats have gotten into Iran" since the blockade started, the US president said

Russia’s Battlegroup West downs 124 Ukrainian drones

Spokesman Ivan Bigma said that the battlegroup had also destroyed 98 Ukrainian hexacopters and five HIMARS projectiles

Moscow to respond to any hostile actions by Helsinki — MFA

Maria Zakharova noted that Finland, starting in 2022, "has become one of the most ardent sponsors of the Kiev regime"

US establishes corridor in Strait of Hormuz for covertly transporting oil — news outlet

According to sources cited by Axios, between 15 and 20 tankers pass through the strait’s southern channel along the coast of Oman every day, exporting roughly half of the pre-war level of oil from the Middle East

Liberation of Kudiyevka creates logistical difficulties for Ukrainian troops — official

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that the Kudiyevka settlement was liberated on August 16

China, Russia insist that results of WW II regarding Japan are indisputable

Zhang Hanhui says Beijing and Moscow think it essential "to resolutely oppose any erroneous actions or statements aimed at rewriting the history of Japanese colonial aggression"

Israel won't put up with Turkey's military presence in Syria — Netanyahu

The Israeli prime minister said that the prior warnings on the issue were not heard "clearly enough"

Russian envoy cautions US, West against triggering arms race in outer space

According to Gennady Gatilov, individual Western countries and blocs directly mention near-Earth space as "yet another field for hostilities in their documents regarding space policy"

Lithuania seeking to take Russians hostage by tightening transit from Kaliningrad

Chairman of the region’s Legislative Assembly Andrey Kropotkin noted that such moves were driven by a political agenda of further pressure on Russia

Civilians injured, 726 UAVs downed: aftermath of attacks on Russian regions

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the Ukrainian drones were intercepted over 19 Russian regions

Poland flaunts its remilitarization — Russian Foreign Ministry

According to Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, everyone saw the purpose for which all of this was undertaken

Khmara appointed defense minister by decision of Zelensky’s Western patrons — expert

Sergey Yurchenko added that the situation at the front and on the international stage will not change after this appointment, since it is too late for Ukraine to make any changes

Drone shot down over Latvia on August 14 belongs to Ukraine — Defense Ministry

The drone was destroyed by a NATO fighter jet

NATO vows to defend US bases in Europe — Reuters

Earlier, the anonymous sources claimed that Iran is allegedly prepared to launch strikes against US bases not only in the Middle East

Press review: Ukraine crisis nears peak as Israel-Turkey tensions rise over Syria

Top stories from the Russian press on Thursday, August 20th

Ukraine’s Zelensky should resign before he is forced into it — German daily

The author of the German-based Berliner Zeitung article believes that instability and weakening of negotiating positions are not the main threat to the country

Russian forces hit Fire Point facility manufacturing attack drone components in Kiev

The enterprise also assembled and stored boosters used in Flamingo cruise missiles

Russia only country in world with expertise across entire nuclear energy sector — Putin

These competitive advantages enable the country to hold a leading position in the market for the construction of nuclear power plants abroad, the Russian leader stressed

Dovod delivery platform for FPV drones to have greater payload capacity

Currently, the platform is capable of carrying up to four FPV drones at a time

Russian forces deliver strike on Antonov plant assembling Lyuty UAVs in Kiev — top brass

The enterprise also developed and manufactured various types of manned aircraft

Russia has no plans at present to sever agreements with NATO, EU, WTO or IMF — politician

Garry Minkh explained Russian ministries’ position, saying that the aforementioned documents, including the Russia-EU agreement, "have not exhausted their potential" in the context of conducting dialogue with the West

Japan indulging in dangerous experiments in sphere of nuclear policy — Chinese diplomat

Zhang Hanhui noted that Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi avoids clearly stating that her country will not import nuclear weapons

Rada may change location for safety reasons — agency

The Rada building is located in the center of Kiev

Ukrainian women in EU must now prove compliance with military duties — EC

The measure was initially expected to apply only to men of conscription age

FACTBOX: What to know of Omsk oil refinery intel sharing, foiled terrorist attack in LPR

Officers detained two men in the Lugansk People’s Republic, who helped the Security Service of Ukraine plan a terrorist attack against the republic’s interior minister

Slavyansk, Kramatorsk, Druzhkovka turned into ‘ghost cities’ by Ukrainian army — expert

Andrey Marochko said that Ukrainian militants are using abandoned civilian facilities for military purposes

Russia to respond proportionately to Kiev’s terror attacks — diplomat

Maria Zakharova pointed out that the Kiev regime demonstrated a complete inability to negotiate

Collective Security Treaty Organization, CIS border troops drill interaction in crises

According to the CSTO, the main objective of the joint command-staff exercise was to improve coordination between border guard and other agencies of the CIS member states

IN BRIEF: What we know about Russia’s massive attack targeting defense-tech sites in Kiev

Russian forces struck a Fire Point plant, a Kiev-based assembly site owned by the Antonov aircraft manufacturing factory and an arsenal with M-900 thermobaric bombs and munitions for Baba-Yaga drones

Trump says North Korea has 57 'very powerful' nuclear weapons

Donald Trump added that he would not have allowed it, had he been president earlier

Zelensky's office dismisses possibility of holding elections in Ukraine

Mikhail Podolyak, an adviser to Vladimir Zelensky’s office, cited ongoing hostilities, "occupied territories," and the displacement of citizens as obstacles

Russian forces hit Ukraine’s military warehouses in Chernomorsk, Yuzhny ports — top brass

Targets were hit on the evening of August 19

Trump announced unprecedented economic war against Iran

The US president said that Tehran 'failed' to seize the opportunity to make a deal

Kiev never asked for air defense systems from EU, only strike weapons — EC

According to European Commission Spokesman Balazs Ujvari, so far, the requests have been centered on drones, missiles and fighter jets

Ex-deputy head of Zelensky’s office Mudraya detained — lawmaker

Irina Mudraya is currently under an investigative procedure at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine

US fighter jet flies over Baltic Sea near Russia’s Kaliningrad Region — source

The aircraft flew in from Reykjavík, passing through the airspace of Norway and Sweden along the way, and also flying over Poland

Large-scale NATO air force activity recorded near Kaliningrad — Russian war correspondent

Yevgeny Poddubny reported that multiple reconnaissance aircraft operated simultaneously close to the Russian border

Ukraine plans to legalize disposal of missing soldiers' bodies as surgical waste — source

According to the Russian security source, the measure is being considered in part because Ukrainian morgues are overcrowded with unidentified remains

Zelensky’s position threatened most since 2022 by Fyodorov’s comment — WSJ

According to the publication, Mikhail Fyodorov’s words are interpreted in Kiev "as the opening gambit in a potential run for the presidency"

Russia not going to terminate agreements with NATO, EU, WTO, IMF — envoy

Garry Minkh says these documents can still be used as instruments for dialogue with the West

French politician calls Fyodorov's speech disaster for Zelensky

Florian Philippot advised that the former Ukrainian defense minister watch his safety

Russia, China to oppose Japan’s attempts to obtain nuclear weapons — Chinese ambassador

Zhang Hanhui also said that Moscow and Beijing think it necessary to "resolutely oppose Japan's accelerated remilitarization"

Western countries on UNSC refuse to compromise on peace, security issues — Russian envoy

Vasily Nebenzya stated that decisions that are not adopted unanimously do not carry the same weight on the ground as consensus resolutions

Iran has enough currency to buy goods, medicine in coming months — Central Bank

Abdolnasser Hemmati says Iran is using "alternative solutions to ensure a sustainable supply of resources"

Ukraine cannot sell 61 mln tons of grain due to ports’ shutdowns — Rada deputy

90% of Ukrainian grain used to be exported via sea routes

20 Brazilian mercenaries eliminated in special military operation zone

An official in Russian law enforcement structures said that after being recruited via social networks, they came to Colombia and signed contracts with the Ukrainian army

Kiev building up forces to fight for Dobropolye in Donetsk region — Russian combatant

According to the serviceman, the Russian troops are operating in a coordinated manner, eliminating enemy forces attempting to redeploy to better positions

Japan has enough plutonium to make 5.500 nuclear warheads — Chinese ambassador

Zhang Hanhui concluded that Japan's "transformation into a nuclear power no longer looks like a fantasy"

Japan begins converting ships into aircraft carriers — Chinese ambassador to Russia

For the first time, the country has re-exported Patriot missiles and begun exporting military frigates, Zhang Hanhui noted

Russian troops clear 400 buildings of Ukrainian forces in liberating Vodyanskoye

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, the settlement was liberated on August 19

Novak, Siluanov comment on Russia’s GDP growth, additional support for regions

TASS has compiled the key statements on the economic situation in Russia

Date for new Russia-US contacts on removing ‘irritants’ being agreed upon — diplomat

Maria Zakharova added that Russia is ready to cooperate with the US partners "to move toward substantive discussions on the issues that are of priority for us"

Russia entitled to view UK as party to Ukrainian conflict — Lavrov

The Russian foreign minister said he feels sorry for the UK if it stays with Ukraine until the very end

Japan seeks to integrate into NATO, Chinese ambassador to Russia says

According to Zhang Hanhui, the official Tokyo's steps are steadily eroding the peaceful nature of the Japanese Constitution

Putin stresses need to strengthen Russia’s sovereignty

The president highlighted that Russia was already implementing a plan for structural changes in the economy

Cyprus taking precautions against potential threats — news agency

The source said that four Greek Air Force F-16 fighter jets, as well as the Nikiforos Fokas frigate, are currently stationed in Cyprus

Russian troops liberate two communities in Donetsk region over past day — top brass

Russia's Battlegroup South and Battlegroup Center units liberated settlements of Nikolaipolye and Matyashevo in the Donetsk People’s Republic

EU doesn't need Ukrainians, sees them as resource for conflict with Russia — senator

According to Igor Kastyukevich, Europeans believe they have been "excessively kind" to Ukraine, especially in light of conflicts between refugees and local residents

Press review: Ukraine conflict fuels EU ultra-right as Trump seeks Iran pressure via Oman

Top stories from the Russian press on Wednesday, August 19th

Trump says he is only US president to establish contact with Kim

The US president added that Japan, South Korea, and other nations are "a lot safer if I'm president than somebody else is president"

Fuel imports to Russia: statements by Novak and overview of market situation

Russian authorities expect a number of oil refineries to complete maintenance work soon, leading to a significant improvement in the fuel market situation

Ukrainian army facing serious shortages of Patriot missiles — Russian defense source

The source noted that the global shortage of Patriot interceptor missiles had intensified following their large-scale use in the Middle East

North Korea’s Kim Yo Jong warns Japan of strike in response to possible threat

Kim Yo Jong stated that the DPRK is closely monitoring Japan’s attempts to build up its military capabilities

Ultranationalist groups hunting Poles in Ukraine — underground resistance

The source said that law enforcement agencies are aware of what is happening and could be overseeing such raids

Putin has no plans for now to meet with head of Vatican's diplomatic service — Kremlin

Paul Richard Gallagher's visit to Moscow will take place from August 25 to 28

US Golden Dome has offensive capabilities despite defensive claims — envoy

According to Gennady Gatilov, the project envisages "the development and deployment of space-based interceptors"

Liberation of Matyashevo opens way for Russian forces’ advance in Dobropolye area

The settlement was liberated by Pskov Guards Airborne Forces formation

China calls on Japan not to play with fire on nuclear weapons matters — ambassador

Zhang Hanhui said that a nuclear arms race in the region could erupt at any moment if Tokyo decides to develop nuclear weapons

Some EU countries whipping up Russophobic hysteria to delegitimize elections — diplomat

Maria Zakharova said it was not ruled out that such media campaigns might complicate the situation around the voting

European gas storage facilities could be depleted by April 2027 — Handelsblatt

If the pace of purchases remains unchanged, storage facilities will be only 69% full by November 1, in which case they could be depleted by April, when Europe’s heating season ends, the newspaper said

Trump says pipelines can reduce Hormuz Strait's importance

Record numbers of pipelines are being built, the US president added

Russia is China’s most reliable supplier of energy sources — Russian senator

Andrey Denisov says oil supplies from Russia to China grew by 92% in the first seven months amid the crisis around the Strait of Hormuz

Cuba wants to become BRICS’ full-fledged member — embassy

According to the embassy, this step is a top priority for the country amid the unprecedented escalation of the US economic war against it

Russia has begun importing fuel to boost domestic supplies — Novak

The Russian government earlier decided to extend the import damper mechanism to diesel fuel, a move intended to provide additional economic incentives for supplying imported diesel to the domestic market if necessary

Kremlin reacts to 'fishing in troubled waters' in Ukraine, potential Wikoff, Kushner visit

Dmitry Peskov stressed that Russia highly values the efforts of all countries that sincerely seek to contribute to settling the Ukraine conflict

Ukraine's cabinet initiates suspensions of Sense Bank leaders amid scandal

The bank is mentioned in newly released recordings by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine

New mobilization rules forcing Ukrainians into servitude, driving them to front — diplomat

Maria Zakharova stressed that Ukrainian leaders offered no explanation to ordinary people about how they are supposed to survive

Upgraded Kuryer robotic system evacuates wounded while providing drone cover

The vehicle not only transports people, but is also capable of automatically engaging enemy drones, providing fire cover for the evacuated personnel

Russia reminds Japanese ambassador that it paid huge price for Kurils — MFA

Russia summoned the Japanese ambassador following Tokyo’s protest against Russian President Vladimir Putin’s visit to the Kuril Island of Iturup

Russia’s Battlegroup South confidently advancing after liberating Nikolaipolye in DPR

The liberation of the settlement became possible thanks to the coordinated efforts of reconnaissance units, artillery crews, and UAV operators from the unmanned systems forces

Fyodorov's statements undermine Zelensky's position — media

The former minister's address also deepened skepticism toward Kiev in Washington, the newspaper wrote

US economic pressure threatens entire global financial system — Iran’s MFA

According to Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, the so-called economic ‘D-Day’ is a diversion from America’s own crisis

Tehran virtually halts oil exports to foreign markets — central bank governor

Abdolnaser Hemmati says that the country has foreign exchange reserves

Kiev to return to talks with Russia on terms worse than those in 2022 — magazine

According to The American Conservative, the Ukrainian armed forces are facing a shortage of manpower, and their stockpile of Patriot interceptor missiles "is at, or approaching, zero"

Ukraine’s losses from port shutdowns exceed $2 bln

Vessel traffic data show that large foreign commercial ships are not entering Odessa, Chernomorsk and Yuzhny

Russia is sole guarantor of Ukraine's sovereignty — MFA

Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova criticized Western policies, suggesting that the West has little genuine interest in Ukraine as an independent or prosperous nation

Russian troops liberate Vodyanskoye community in Donetsk region over past day — top brass

Russia’s Battlegroup Center inflicted roughly 380 casualties on Ukrainian troops and destroyed six enemy armored combat vehicles in its area of responsibility over the past day, the Defense Ministry reported

Trump leaves open possibility of further sanctions on Iran

The US president said "very draconian sanctions" were being considered

FACTBOX: Putin’s statements on positive economic growth, impact of Ukrainian attacks

Boosting investment activity is the primary condition for economic growth in Russia, the head of state said

North Korea launches approximately 10 missiles toward Sea of Japan — South Korean military

The Joint Chiefs of Staff stated that they "maintain vigilance for additional launches"

Kusturica slams blocking of his YouTube channel as 'war on truth'

Official reason for the channel's removal was not specified

Some 250 drones were flying toward Moscow Region during night

Mayor Sergey Sobyanin says most of them were destroyed at distant locations

Russia plans to add around 30 gigawatts of nuclear power capacity — Putin

According to the president, nuclear energy accounts for roughly 20% of the electricity generated in Russia

Zelensky’s office unhappy with US appointment of its people to key positions in Ukraine

Deputy head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office Irina Mudraya expressed dissatisfaction with the lack of control over head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office Alexander Klimenko

Russian ambassador says German MFA’s statements on FAZ journalist case unfriendly

Sergey Nechayev emphasized that German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Giese’s remarks effectively excused Michael Martens and overlooked the broader context